America’s bird feeder mentality

If you love birds you probably have a bird feeder. Personally, I DO love birds, but I don’t like the consequences. So I have hummingbird feeders. Why? Hummingbirds, when the defecate, do so a drop at a time, and usually over a plant, that uses this as fertilizer.

People who have regular seed bird feeders-the birds come and pretty soon you have your own flock. Then, life gets so comfortable, they build nests in the area, and begin to congregate. Pretty soon, you cannot even use your patio, or wherever you have your bird feeder, because of all the nests, and especially because of all the poop. Take down the bird feeder, and they dissipate. Life for you becomes more normal, at least after you’ve cleaned up the poop.

Our country operates like this, in large degree. All the welfare we offer, to immigrants, and the poor, and even to struggling corporations, serves as the attractant. Free health care, free education, free citizenship if you’re so much as born in the US. Free bailouts if you’re a corporation today. Free mortgage bailouts if you’re financially unsound.

One way to fix our country is to take down the bird feeder. Let endangered species die. Many have, many will. It’s God’s will which ones exist now. Let weak corporations die. And, please, get rid of the birdfeeder so we can begin to clean up the poop.

This in no way should suggest that I want to leave the helpless and truly needy out on the street (unless that’s where they want to be!) or hungry-Christ calls us to take care of those in need. In this country, many of the ‘poor’ have electricity, a stove, a VCR or DVD player, video games, etc. But we need to let private charity reclaim the province of taking care of the poor and truly needy. The Church is the body that has always, down through the centuries, done this.